Government Fleet, January/February 2018

icated vehicle replacement fund and a scoring program standardized across all departments is a challenge Because we are a smaller government and department resources are often allocated to meeting existing needs and dollars to innovate or plan are stretched thinly Vickery noted In addition to overseeing about 76 units Meng Khut runs the City of Signal Hill Calif maintenance department by himself performing PM services such as wheel balancing brake jobs and tire work If he gets too many repairs at once Khut who is equipment lead mechanic worker will occasionally contract it out The neighboring City of Long Beach fleet helps with heavy duty equipment such as dump trucks and backhoes If Khut gets sick or has to miss a day for any reason the shop has to close When asked if safety issues could come up as a result of the department being closed he responded Good question In my opinion it could be a safety issue for any person working alone Khut said he must stay on top of recordkeeping or that will throw the preventive maintenance schedule off He uses software designed for public works use which has its challenges Its not fleet dedicated software so it can be more work Khut said If someone enters the wrong mileage into the program for example that can throw everything off MAKING USE OF TECHNOLOGY Just like larger government fleets technology helps some smaller fleets manage costs and stay organized The City of La Verne uses AssetWorks software for its fleet and fuel operations Mechanics work independently in their own bays or in the yard and hand held computers track their time and work orders The fuel system is connected to Wi Fi so when vehicles come near the facility their mileage is uploaded to the fleet management program Grant Koba Nelson who oversees 91 vehicles as vehicle maintenance coordinator driving instructor for the Lorain County Sheriffs Office in Elyria Ohio noted that cameras in the patrol vehicles are now integrated into the departments computer server Were in the process of putting new modems and new antennas in all the cars We seem to be more backed up because we have the TrackStar to put in Its a tracking system so we know where the vehicles are at all times His department is also installing Wi Fi capability in the vehicles because some in vehicle tablets require it The department is also looking into a fleet management software Currently he simply keeps a separate spreadsheet for each vehicle But new technology is not always an option Sebring of PCI noted that his department does not currently use fleet management software but he is currently considering a fleet software system that includes electronic driver logs and vehicle telematics One solution is to make do with current resources Ruggiero with the Lincoln Park Police Department developed his own program on Filemaker to track how many hours his technicians spend on repairs The database keeps records of monthly repairs mileage and radar units I create a report for almost any of the data I wish to track or see I can run a report on how much time they spend on a particular vehicle that year or that month how much money we spent on it and what those repairs were so I can track if I have a problem vehicle he said If a vehicle is going through more tires than other vehicles for example he can turn his attention to the driver of that vehicle and his or her driving habits n JANUARY FEBRUARY 2018 GOVERNMENT FLEET 23 SOURCES u Patrick Bartole CAFM fleet manager department of facilities and construction management New Jersey City University E mail PBartole@ njcu edu u Dave Johnson fleet superintendent City of La Verne Calif E mail DJohnson@ cityoflaverne org u Meng Khut equipment lead mechanic worker City of Signal Hill Calif E mail MKhut@ cityofsignalhill org u Grant Koba Nelson vehicle maintenance coordinator driving instructor Lorain County Sheriffs Office Ohio E mail GKoba Nelson@ loraincountysheriff com u Russ Ruggiero patrolman Traffic Bureau Department of Police Borough of Lincoln Park N J E mail Ruggiero@ bolp org u Richard Sebring freight logistics manager automotive officer Pennsylvania Correctional Industries E mail RSebring@ pa gov u John Vickery director Fleet Services Anderson County Tenn E mail JVickery@ andersontn org At Lincoln Park Police Department in New Jersey Patrolman Russ Ruggiero manages the 20 vehicles on top of his regular duties The New Jersey City Universitys small fleet staff handles the selection purchase operation maintenance and replacement of 32 vehicles and 80 pieces of equipment PHOTO COURTESY OF BOROUGH OF LINCOLN PARK PHOTO COURTESY OF NJCU

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